JOHN Barrowman, the star of this year’s blockbuster Christmas pantomime in Birmingham. has been forced to apologise for exposing himself on a live radio show.

Barrowman, right, who also stars in Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood, performed the act during an interview on the Switch programme on Radio 1 on Sunday evening, prompting corporation bosses to issue an official apology.

Although the programme was on radio, pictures were also relayed to online visitors via a webcam.

Barrowman, who is to appear as the lead in Robin Hood – The Pantomime Adventure, which runs at the Birmingham Hippodrome from Friday, December 19, until Sunday, February 1, next year, has also had to apologise for his on-air gaffe.

The 41-year-old West End actor, whose early TV career was as a children’s presenter on Live And Kicking, said: “I apologise for any offence I have caused. I was joining in the light-hearted and fun banter of the show and went too far. I was wrong to do this and it will never happen again.

Only one complaint was received about Barrowman exposing himself.

The BBC stressed that nothing untoward was actually screened over the internet via the studio webcam, and the show was removed from the BBC iPlayer, which normally lets users listen to radio broadcasts for up to a week after transmission.